North Star
by ladycole
Summary: A day late, but this was intended for Momoharu Week Day 4: Stargazing. Just a small chat together underneath the stars.


Tension between them could be palpable. As if it could be cut clean through with a knife. Maki considered it irony, with how much she favored knives above any other weapon. Sometimes, she wanted to draw her own and slash through this tension. Part of her longed to eradicate it. Severe this bond between them. To end it before she fell too far. Attachments were foreign. For an assassin, they were lethal. Anyone close to her would be endangered. At best, it made her uneasy. She'd rather not consider at worst. She didn't want to imagine the possibilities. Above all things, she wanted his safety. She desired it far much more than her own.

He called her a coward once. The night he first dragged her out to join him and Saihara for training. That day seemed like forever ago, in the middle of Hope's Peak Academy's courtyard. How long had he knocked at her door before she opened it? Reluctantly, of course. She would insist there was next to nothing willing in her actions. It was the same way he was knocking at her heart. Consistently, constantly. She longed to run, for she knew nothing of this. She knew nothing of someone caring for her, supporting her, believing in her. She was best at running and hiding from the things she did not want to face. And there was far too much for her to fear. Far too many variables, known and unknown alike. She'd been willing to crash and burn from the start.

An assassin's life had an expiration date. She knew this well. Maki had no particular bonds with the others dragged into the cult's work. Yet, it was noticeable whenever one was to just disappear. All her life, she assumed she'd follow this fate. To protect the orphanage, she strove to make sure she'd be useful as long as possible. She was unwilling to let him shatter with her. That damned astronaut wouldn't give up on her. He didn't know how to give up on her. Or anything that he set his sights upon, for that matter.

"Harumaki..!" Kaito spoke suddenly, cutting off her train of thoughts as if he knew he was on her mind. More accurately, he knew she was drifting too far away into her thoughts. Into her fears. He didn't want her to avoid them. That was far from his intent. Maki was prone to carrying everything upon her shoulders. Prone to handling problems on her own. He knew she wasn't used to having anyone by her side, anyone to count on. He wouldn't let her carry her burdens by herself. "You weren't paying attention, were you?" he grinned, chuckling under his breath.

They were seated together under the stars. They were in a field, quite a few miles out of the city. The weather wasn't quite warm enough for the assassin's tastes. On top of the blanket laid across her lap, Kaito draped his jacket over her shoulders. He stumbled upon the spot and noted how many stars could be seen. Naturally, he had to bring her with him. He aimed to share as much of his life with her as he could.

"So what?" Maki huffed in response, neither confirming nor denying his question. The pout upon her face and hands toying with her hair gave away the truth. Part of understanding the girl was picking up upon her mannerisms. Something Kaito was attuned to like second nature. He knew it was more than just zoning out, during his rambling. She was worried. He couldn't leave that alone.

His smile softened as he reached out to ruffle her hair. She'd come so far from doing whatever she could to avoid contact with their classmates to not pushing his hand away. "You don't have to talk if you don't want to," he mused, his gaze returning to the sky. The unspoken implication was that he would. He didn't need to see her expression to know she was pouting further still. He chuckled lowly, warmly. He couldn't begin to describe his affection for her. It was as wide and vast as the universe. Limitless, endless.

"Do you see that?" he pointed toward the north star. "Polaris," he commented. He rattled off about the scientific facts about during a training session. "Whenever you want to look down, Harumaki... Look up," Kaito started, his gaze returning to hers. "Moving forward is never going to be easy, but it's not impossible!" he broke out into a bright grin as he pulled her closer to him. Her head rested upon his shoulder. "It doesn't have to be anything big or crazy. Just simple steps. Having somewhere to look to, when you feel lost, will help. As long as you have a goal in mind, you won't get lost, no matter how long it takes. And I'll be there, too."

She was silent for a few minutes, processing his words. Maki understood his meaning. She was quick to rush her. Prone to trying to improve and frustrated, when she didn't get as far as she intended. The innate fear of being branded a failure was often the motivation behind her actions. "You're so..," she trailed off, grasping for words. "Stupid," she settled as per usual.

"H-Hey..!" he exclaimed, his voice raising. He was mostly joking around. He knew she was still learning to express herself. He knew underneath her words was something much kinder. Maki needed to be reminded to give herself time to breathe. He would do so as many times as she needed him to.

"But... Thank you," Maki murmured. A ghost of a smile twitched at her lips. She leaned up, pressing a gentle kiss to his cheek. She pulled back, pulling the blanket up over her cheeks to mask her blush. Out of the corner of her eyes, she could see him grinning widely. She'd miss his own blush as he laughed. She refused to stop pouting now.

He pulled her close again, returning her kiss with of his own to the top of her head. He sighed contently as he held onto her. It was just him, her, and the stars. No matter how lost she felt, no one would be able to take this moment from her. Kaito would do anything to ensure that she could cherish these moments forever.


End file.
